About...Cedar Rapids is
the second largest city in Iowa with a metro population of over
255,000. The county seat of Linn County, Cedar
Rapids is 100
miles east of Des Moines, the state capital. The Cedar
Rapids area was first settled in the early 1800s and named for
the whitewater rapids along the Cedar River, along which the
city is located.

Agriculture, primarily corn processing, is the main sector of Cedar
Rapids' economy, accounting for around 12,000 jobs. A large mill
belonging to the company Quaker Oats is located in downtown, as is
a General Mills facility. Several other large companies have
offices in and around Cedar Rapids, including Nordstrom, Cargill,
Newspaperarchive and Rockwell Collins. High technology is a growing
segment of the economy, particularly the defense electronics
industry.

The Cedar Rapids economy has been affected by the nationwide
recession, with unemployment rates fluctuating between eight and
nine percent of the population. This is on par with the national
average. Annual property taxes in the city are among the lowest
state-wide, while the overall cost of living is lower than the
national average.